By Chris Fuller/MIchael Clark
Kentucky Scouting Director/Regional Scouting Director

The Future Prospects Showcase and Educational Camp took place on the campus of Bellarmine University on October 20.  The event included a discussion from the PBR Kentucky and Bellarmine staffs on a variety of topics including how we evaluate players, the importance of academics, the demands of student athletics at the high school level, and the recruiting process.  Players were given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with how a PBR event is run and structured.

While there is still much development that will take place with all of the prospects in attendance, today we take a look at the group of outfielders who showcased their abilities at the event.

class of 2017 prospects

Sam Hedgesuy, OF/3B, St. Xavier HS, 2017
5-foot-10, 155-pound freshman, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup, smooth load, short stride, good lower half torque in swing, solid bat speed, slight uphill path to the ball, ran 7.37 60 yard dash, event best 80 mph tee exit velocity.  As an outfielder, some hesitancy in playing through the ball, release can be quicker, throws show some carry at 70 mph, moves well.  As a 3B, fields ball deep, good lateral movement, long arm action at 68 mph across the infield.

Austin Eisert, OF/SS, St. Xavier HS, 2017
5-foot-9, 145-pound freshman, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, shows some gap to gap pop, makes hard contact, solid bat speed, ran 7.34 60 yard dash, 77 mph tee exit velocity.  As an infielder, shows good lateral movement and soft hands, can play through the ball more, quick exchange and short arm action at 66 mph across the infield.  As an outfielder, can play through the ball better on the ground, 69 mph arm strength from the outfield.

Edward Alexander, OF, Jeffersontown HS, 2017
5-foot-7, 140-pound freshman, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a toe tap trigger, displays very good hand quickness, tendency to cut off lower half at times with incomplete backside turn, had solid round with several line drives, gap to gap approach, ran 7.57 60 yard dash, 75 mph tee exit velocity.  As an outfielder, shows athletic actions and moves well, needs to continue working on hands, plays through the ball, loose arm at 64 mph, throws stay online.

Jarron Turner, 1B/LHP, Mason County HS, 2017
5-foot-8, 170-pound freshman, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, long swing path, swing will benefit from better use of his strong lower half, ran 9.09 60 yard dash, 67 mph tee exit velocity.  As a 1B, shows decent footwork and soft hands, accurate arm across the infield at 63 mph.  As an OF, shows a clean and quick exchange with short arm action and 63 mph arm strength.  On the mound, uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, needs to incorporate better use of lower half in delivery, fastball sat 57-59 mph and is straight, slows arm on curveball at 44-47 mph, slows arm on changeup at 44-46 mph.

class of 2018 prospects

Nicholas Wooden, OF/3B, Logan County MS, 2018
5-foot-6, 125-pound 8^th grader, right handed-hitter hits from a balances setup with a short stride, generates good bat speed for size, made solid contact in his round, will continue to develop as a hitter with added strength, ran 8.22 60 yard dash, 64 mph tee exit velocity.  As a 3B, shows good lateral movement, hands work, short and loose arm action at 65 mph across the infield.  As an OF, shows a loose arm, throws stay online, 67 mph arm strength, needs to work on playing through the ball on the ground.

Chase Thomas, RHP/OF, Noe MS, 2018
5-foot-7, 117-pound 8^th grader, switch-hitting prospect, starts in a balanced setup from the right side with a long stride, uses lower half well to generate good bat speed from the right side, long stride creates balance issues at times.  From the left side, starts with a slightly closed setup, swing is longer and not as much bat speed, with continued work shows potential to be a switch hitter at the high school level, ran 8.37 60 yard dash, 65 mph tee exit velocity.  In the outfield, arm is loose/athletic and throws have some carry at 67 mph, needs to continue working on playing through the ball and not drifting on fly balls

Connor Harrison, 3B/OF/RHP, Barrett Traditional MS, 2018
5-foot-5, 120-pound 8^th grader, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a leg kick trigger, hands start high and drop, generates some bat speed through the zone, good rhythm when foot gets down on time, ran 8.13 60 yard dash, 62 mph tee exit velocity.  As a 3B, shows good lateral movement and a quick first step, glove gets down late at times, accurate arm across the infield at 61 mph.  As an outfielder, moves well, can play through the ball a little more consistently, shows some athletic actions, throws tend to tail from ¾ arm slot, 64 mph arm strength.  On the mound, uses short arm action through a ¾ arm slot, rushes some in delivery, good command of fastball at 60-62 mph, has a tendency to get underneath curveball at 52-54 mph, changeup shows some cutting action at 50-51 mph.

Collin Kenworthy, 2B/OF, Crosby MS, 2018
5-foot-4, 110-pound 8^th grader, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a big leg kick trigger, big hand drop in load, shows some hand quickness, hard contact in his round, line-drive type hitter, ran 8.63 60 yard dash, 67 mph tee exit velocity.  As an infielder, shows a loose arm and good arm strength for age across the infield at 65 mph, tendency to field ball on heels, continue working on playing through the ball.  As an outfielder, shows athletic actions and footwork, plays through the ball well, sets up well on fly balls, accurate arm with throws on the bag at 69 mph.

class of 2019 prospects

Shamel Mooney, 2B/OF, Shelby Co East MS, 2019
5-foot, 90-pound 7^th grader, right-handed hitter hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, has very good hand quickness, generates some bat speed for size, needs to continue working on complete use of lower half and finishing through the baseball, tools are present and will continue to develop as a hitter, ran 9.03 60 yard dash, 56 mph tee exit velocity.  As an infielder, shows good lateral movement, hands work, continue working on playing through the ball, 56 mph arm strength across the infield.  As an outfielder, plays through the ball at times, takes good angles, athletic arm at 58 mph, game will continue to develop with added strength and physical maturity.

Koby Wall, 2B/OF/RHP, Logan Co MS, 2019
5-foot, 100-pound 7^th grader, left-handed hitter hits from a wide and balanced setup, no load, short stride, gets some lower half involved in swing, line drive type hitter, ran 9.26 60 yard dash.  As an infielder, young prospect shows good movement, needs to continue working on hands, 56 mph arm strength across the infield.  As an outfielder, showed 58 mph arm strength, needs to work on playing through the ball, will continue to develop game with physical maturity.  On the mound, uses shorter arm action through a high ¾ arm slot, good command of all pitches, fastball sat 57-58 mph, curveball shows gradual 12/6 action at 50-52 mph, changeup thrown with good arm action at 50-51 mph, good rhythm in delivery with solid mechanics.